Safety lever position - Up or Down?

[Michigunner]

The thought of having several pistols, where the safety levers have different meanings, is disturbing.

If there is a crisis and the pistol is drawn from the holster, you have to remember which pistol you have today, and which way do you point the safety lever.

Now that is a major problem, assuming you don't have the Glock.

At the risk of duplicating previous discussions, do you think one safety lever is better than another, especially regarding the Up and Down meaning?

I sure wish there was only one single implementation, so we could carry a variety of pistols, without that confusion.

 

[Sean Smith]

Maybe it is because it is what I'm most used to, but down = fire seems most intuitive for me. Pushing a thumb safety up as finish you draw and put the gun on target seems like it would weaken your grip rather than strengthen it, which is the exact opposite of what should be happening at that point.

Look at it this way: instead of your thumb going up to disengage the safety, then back down for a good firing grip, the thumb just goes down to disengage the safety, and is already on the way to a good firing grip.

 

[Michigunner]

That sounds perfectly valid.

I always felt more in control when pushing down to prepare to fire.

 

[T.Stahl]

Now that is a major problem, assuming you don't have the Glock.

Well, that is exactly WHY I only have a Glock.

Ok, if the gun has to have a safety lever I prefer frame-mounted (1911, HK) to slide-mounted (S&W, Beretta), and down-to-fire to up-to-fire. It's just the most ergonomic option.

 

[The Drew]

just get a gun that decocks... then keep the safety off and don't worry about it...

 

[SouthpawShootr]

I prefer frame-mounted safety lever, down to fire. Aside from that I prefer the Glock. It's either the way I want it or it's not there.

 

[Trebor]

I won't own a defensive pistol with a "up to fire" slide mounted safety. That's why I still haven't bought a Berreta 92 or S&W 3913. I want the controls on my guns to be as similiar as possible and I prefer the "down to fire" type safety. Going up just doesn't feel right.

 

[Ex-MA Hole]

Guess that Walthers are out then, eh?

 

[AirForceShooter]

I carry a 1911 and a bersa .380.
To my way of thinking the Bersa safety is inverted.
Soultion:
1911 at condition 1
Bersa, round in the chamber, hammer down and safety OFF, it's a DA anyway.
Seems to work

AFS

 

[Illuminaughty]

I have a Walther PP. Not having to move your thumb at all to make it go from safety to fire is nice. I've tested it, and it takes me longer and throws balance off my aiming more when going from up to down than down to up. I definatly recoomend the fire being in the up position like the walthers.

 

[Black Majik]

Up : Safe
Down: Fire

ala 1911. The correct way.

 

[shield20]

Agreed - down = fire is the way I like it. I did/do use the de-cocker on the Berettas, but never as a safety.

 

[tc300mag1]

Down to fire up for safe is what i prefer now for range guns anything goes

 

[Croyance]

I never felt this is much of an issue.
With home defense, my DA/SA guns have an empty chamber, full magazine, safety off. Even if the chamber was loaded, they would be decocked. Grab, rack, aim, shoot.
My carry guns are either 1911's, HiPowers, or DAO/'Safety Action'. These are also the ones I end each range session with so my reflexes are adapted. Dry fire practice also.

I guess I simplified so there would be no mixing of reflexes.

 

[Trebor]

Guess that Walthers are out then, eh?

Oh yeah, Walthers are DEFINATELY out. I'm not a fan of the PPK anyway, so that just confirms it.

 

[horge]

Sort of makes you look at wheelguns, don't it?

 

[ThirdShiftRich]

Are there any single action semi's out there with a safe-down fire-up safety setup? I think a safety on a DA/SA pistol that decocks is just an added bonus that probably didn't take much additional cost or engineering and looks good on paper. If the general gun buying public can accept glock action as safe, there's no reason that the usual twice as heavy trigger pull of a DA/SA gun isn't twice as safe.

I just couldn't imagine carrying a Makarov or a PPK for instance, decocked with the safety on.

 

[The Drew]

IMO the only guns that need safety levers are single action... and the traditional 1911 doesn't even really need it with the grip safety... That being said, Down is the proper way to have a safety work (that being fire=down) Much more natural.

I think the decockers that are a safety too like my Bersa, are more a consequence of the mechanics rather than being designed that way. But if a gun is a decocker I don't ever use the safety as a safety, but as a decocker. then turn the safety off...

 

[JoeHatley]

Are there any single action semi's out there with a safe-down fire-up safety setup?

Yes. My S&W 952 is that configuration.



Although I not sure it's correct to call the frame mounted lever a "safety". It's really a firing pin block. In the down position the hammer can stay cocked, and will fall if the trigger is pulled. It just can't hit the firing pin.

Joe